


With a Smile and a Song

by MightyAmphitrite



Series: At Hogwarts [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hogwarts Inter-House Friendships, Humor, Music, Poetry, Pre-Ariadne/Aaron, Reluctant Inter-House Cooperation, Unbridled Enthusiasm, rose and scorpius friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 03:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12356973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyAmphitrite/pseuds/MightyAmphitrite
Summary: Ariadne Potter asks the question on everyone's mind: what if Hogwarts had more school songs?Okay, so no one has ever asked that, but that won't stop her from trying to write one, and convincing the other Houses to write their own verses. And with some unexpected help from a friend, this project might actually get off the ground.Also featuring: discussions of poetry, a Potions mishap, and some very confused Slytherins.





	With a Smile and a Song

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone's the same age as in A World of Their Own and Learning Curve: Al is a first year, Ariadne is in third, Aaron, Rose, and Scorpius are in fourth, and James is in fifth. Just in case anyone was curious. You can read this fic as a stand-alone if you so choose and still understand everything, but the others are a lot of fun, too.

As breakfast wound down, the students at the Ravenclaw table finished up their meal and packed their bags in preparation for their morning classes, only to stop short at the sight of Ariadne Potter skipping towards them, muffin and school bag in hand. All eyes at their end of the table turned to James, who was still eating as he proof-read an essay for Charms. His sister beamed down at him. “I have an idea.”

The other Ravenclaws exchanged dubious looks and discreetly made for the nearest exit. Ariadne’s ‘ideas’ were infamously elaborate, often perplexing, and incorporated as many other students as possible. Her enthusiasm for new projects was nearly impossible to dampen, and by her third year the general consensus was to hide until the dust cleared. There would, however, be no hiding for James, and he knew it. He reached for the marmalade and started slathering it on his toast.

“Wonderful. Why don’t you go tell Al? I’m sure he’d love to hear it.”

“I’ll tell him at lunch, he’s not quite awake enough to appreciate it yet,” she said, sparing a glance for the Gryffindor table. Little Al was nodding off into his pancakes; he and his friends had apparently been up all night finishing mountainous piles of homework. James shook his head at the sight. First years were so disorganized.

“Anyway, I wanted you to be the first to know,” Ariadne continued, waving her muffin excitedly. James braced himself and attempted to look honored. “I think the school should have more songs!”

James raised an eyebrow. “One isn’t enough? You can probably hear this tone-deaf lot as far as London at the start of term.”

She shook her head. “They’re starting to include music lessons in all Muggle Studies classes, didn’t you hear? That won’t be a problem much longer. Anyway, I was thinking there should be a song for each House. And they won’t be divisive,” she added, holding up a hand as if to stem his oncoming objections. “They’ll all be to the same tune! That way they can be sung separately, or together as a round! Wouldn’t that be something?”

Trying to sift through the dizzying implications of this new plan, James asked, “And who’ll write these songs? You?”

She shook her head and grinned. “That’s the best part! Each House will work together to write their own verse! A boy I know in fourth year, Alexander Farley, is writing the music. His father plays in the London Symphony. Each House just has to come up with words to go with the tune. We’re having a study party in the Hufflepuff Common Room on Thursday and everyone’s supposed to bring ideas for our verse. It’ll be so much fun! Would you like to take charge for Ravenclaw?”

James sighed in resignation at the sight of his sweet little sister, eyes pleading, muffin nearly crushed between her clasped hands. “I’m awfully busy, A, but I’ll mention it if the opportunity arises. And Ariadne?” He slipped his bag onto his shoulder, then continued hesitantly, “Don’t be too upset if the other Houses don’t want to get involved, alright?”

She cheered and gave him a quick hug before dashing off, pausing at the door and calling back, “You’ll see, James, it’ll be spectacular!”

 _That_ got the Hall’s attention. Spectacular was Ariadne’s favorite word, and when one of her ideas earned that coveted label, they were all in for an interesting term.

* * *

As the Hufflepuff and Slytherin third years ambled into their Transfiguration classroom, Ariadne and Eleanor found their usual seats, but after setting her bag on her desk, Ariadne said, “Just a moment,” and sidled up to a trio of Slytherin girls in the far corner of the room.

“Hello, Anastasia,” she said a bit shyly, though her usual smile was still in place.

The other two girls looked up in surprise and exchanged confused looks, but the brunette being addressed continued studying her manicure without sparing the others a single glance. “Hullo, Ariadne,” she said absently, reaching into her school bag and pulling out a nail file.

Ariadne cleared her throat. “Well, I was wondering…you may have heard, I’ve spoken to the other Houses…I just think it would be really neat if the school had a new song with four verses that really represent what’s special about each House-“

“Oh, do go ahead, then,” Isadora Crawley said with a too-bright smile. She glanced at Anastasia, then began thumbing through her previously-unopened textbook, clearly signaling the end of their conversation. “I’m sure it will be lovely.”

“Yes, _do_ let us know how it turns out,” said Anastasia, admiring her nails in the lamplight.

“But that’s the best part,” Ariadne pressed on, looking back at the Hufflepuff side of the room for encouragement, where Eleanor was watching fretfully from her seat. She made to stand up, but Ariadne waved her away. All eyes in the room were on Anastasia Travers and her glittering silver fingernails.

“Each House gets to write their own verse so that they’re properly represented. I thought it might be…” she gestured aimlessly, “fun.”

Anastasia spared Ariadne the merest of glances before focusing once more on her nails. “That sounds like _work_ to me.”

Someone snickered. Anastasia ignored them. Ariadne continued, unabashed. “You wouldn’t have to write it all by yourself. We’ve had a wonderful time sharing ideas in Hufflepuff; who knows what creativity is hidden in your House? You could all write something meaningful together.”

The room watched with bated breath as Anastasia sighed and pulled out her textbook with great reluctance, her usual way of handling books of any sort. “We’ll think about it,” she said indifferently, giving her friends a significant look.

Danielle St. Clair tossed her blond head and said, “Yes, we’ll think about it,” and that was that. Anastasia always gave Dani the last word.

Ariadne nodded and said, “Okay, yes, great! Have a good lesson, then!” She moved quickly back to her seat as Professor Collins strode in and asked for their attention. Under the cover of pages turning and chairs scraping across the floor, Ariadne whispered, “That went better than I thought it would.”

Eleanor shook her head, her eyes wide. “I still say we should have sent them a note. You’re lucky she didn’t bite your head off just for breathing her air!”

Ariadne rolled her eyes. “Why do you think I asked her in front of so many witnesses? Besides, it would have been far easier for the Slytherins to ignore a note than a personal request.”

They heard muffled laughter, and from the row behind them Dylan Collier murmured, “You’re a lot of things, Ariadne, but you’re not easy to ignore.”

* * *

“Scorpius! Scorpius Malfoy!”

He glanced up with a sigh. Ariadne Potter was striding over with a determined look on her face. He told his puzzled housemates he’d be with them in a moment, and gave her a chance to catch up.

“I have a question for you,” she said seriously once she’d reached his side. He wasn’t all too shocked: she was always asking someone something. That today it was him, mere moments before a difficult demonstration in class, was just his luck.

“You can just say ‘Scorpius,’ you know, you don’t have to say my full name,” he said mildly. “It’s not like there are any other Scorpius’s around who might get confused.”

“I just wanted to make sure I had your attention. Aaron Thomas almost fell down the stairs when I asked for the time after lunch; I’m trying not to catch people off-guard.”

Scorpius bit back a grin. Thomas had a tremendous crush on Ariadne, and she was the only one in the castle who hadn’t noticed. “What did you want to ask me? I really should be getting to Charms soon.”

“Oh yes, of course! Well, the study sessions I arranged for the first years on Thursdays are going quite well, but they could use another Transfiguration tutor, since Bates made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I was wondering if you’d like to stand in for him on occasion? I’m told that’s one of your best subjects.”

He raised an eyebrow, wondering who was informing on him to the Hufflepuffs. “Who told you that?”

She blushed. “A friend of a friend…of a friend. Please? Only if you have time, of course, but lots of first years find it to be their hardest subject, and it’s sad to see them so worried.”

“Alright, alright,” Scorpius said, shaking his head. No one could look quite as dejected as Ariadne on the verge of disappointment. “But only when Bates has practice, and not long term-“

“Oh, thank you!” she cried, beaming at him, causing more than a few bystanders to cast them curious looks. “It’s so nice of you to help! I’ll have the club secretary send you the dates, they meet in the Great Hall after dinner, you know. Oh!” He turned to face her, striving to look attentive; he had been inching discretely toward his classroom. “Do you know how your verse is coming along?”

“Verse?” Brow furrowed, Scorpius wracked his brain for past conversations on poetry or music…music! “Our House verse, you mean?” he asked, glad to avoid another dejected look. She nodded, smiling, and thinking quickly, he continued, “I believe my housemates are still gathering ideas and weighing their options. Can’t just throw something like this together overnight,” and she nodded again in agreement. “When they have something ready, someone will let you know. Now, I really should be off…”

“Oh, of course! And there’s Eleanor; I should be getting on, too. Thanks again!” With a final wave, she hurried over to her friend. Scorpius wasn’t as quick to move. _Where there’s Ariadne,_ he thought, glancing around, _there’s usually._ …there. James Potter was watching him from farther down the corridor, a small frown on his face, which went blank the second Scorpius caught his eye. Scorpius nodded to him and resumed his walk to class. The last thing Scorpius needed was for James to think he had upset his little sister. His classroom finally in sight, Scorpius began visualizing wand movements in his head, their conversation all but forgotten.

* * *

 

The crisp autumn morning seemed to be full of possibilities, but after bounding cheerfully downstairs with his friends, Aaron soon realized it wouldn’t be as great as he’d imagined. Ariadne and James argued in the Entrance Hall that morning as the other older students gathered for the second Hogsmeade trip of the term; he’d found out she had a cold and sent her back upstairs to rest. Aaron, who’d hoped to run into her in the village and convince her to join their group for lunch, had instead watched her storm off to sulk while James called out, “It’s for your own good!” before joining his friends. His daydreams derailed, Aaron headed out with the other Gryffindors and tried not to mope. He’d gotten her some Ice Mice from Honeyduke’s (her favorite), and after their group returned to the castle, he drummed up some courage and set off to deliver them in person.

He found her in the library, wisps of steam drifting up from her ears; probably a combination of Pepper-Up Potion and frustration with her bossy older brother. Ariadne sat at a table by herself, rubbing at her reddened nose, a thick Hufflepuff scarf looped around her neck.

“What are you doing?” he asked softly, after a quick look around for anyone (especially James) who might tell them to be quiet or otherwise interrupt.  He took the seat next to her and leaned in closer than was strictly necessary; the parchment in front of her was full of random words and phrases, half of which had been crossed out.

Ariadne tugged at her curls, looking rather forlorn. “I’m writing poetry. Trying to, anyway.”

He resisted the urge to pat her hand. “New hobby?”

She shrugged. “Mum suggested doing something creative when I’m feeling down. I just didn’t think it would be this hard.” She looked at him hopefully. “What rhymes with ‘meringue’ “?

He wasn’t a dazzling writer at the best of times, and looking into her eyes made it hard to think about anything else.

“Er…bang clang?”

He heard muffled laughter behind the nearest bookshelf and felt his face heat up. “We’ll put that on the ‘maybe’ list,” she said with a small smile, jotting it down in the corner of her parchment. After adding ‘rang’ and ‘fang’, she set down her quill with a sigh. “I’ll get there eventually. Not exactly how I’d _planned_ to spend my day, but…”

“Sorry you didn’t get to come,” he added, holding out the little bag of candy for her to take. “I thought this might cheer you up.”

Ariadne beamed at him and hugged the bag to her chest. “Thanks, Aaron! That was very kind. I guess today isn’t so terrible after all.” She waved a hand at her parchment. “I missed out on Hogsmeade and none of my poems are working, but at least there’s candy.” She dug out a couple of pieces and held out her hand. “Want one?”

With one last look around for any prefects or librarians, he nodded and popped a little candy mouse into his mouth. They shivered and laughed while Aaron told her about his earlier trip to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, where Lucy and Lyra had stocked up for their personal prank war, with Kellen egging them on.

The conversation eventually drifted back to her poetry. “I probably should have started with haikus, they’re shorter,” she said, smoothing her hand across the parchment. “We put together a _really_ good one about Hufflepuff for the song, but that was a group effort. Not that it matters,” she added softly. “I haven’t heard anything from the other Houses, and it won’t work if we’re the only ones who write a part.”

His heart sank. “You’re writing House poems? I hadn’t heard…”

She nodded. “Each verse was going to fit together in a round to make a new school song. I tried talking to the Gryffindors in my year, but Sydney and Amanda were having a row about some boy and I don’t know if they were really listening.”

Aaron, having heard several such fights in their common room recently, winced. “Well, don’t lose hope yet. Maybe the third years aren’t up for it, but some of the others might help. And I- I could, uh… ask around? For ideas?”

She stared at him, eyes wide and hopeful. “You’d do that?”

“S-sure. I could, y’know…” Her smile lit up the room, and he grinned, their conversation already becoming hazy in his mind.

“That’s so nice of you!” she said softly, remembering just in time that they were in the library. “And it shouldn’t be that hard, it’s 8 6 8 6, pretty straightforward, and Alexander could always show you the music, he’s in your year, you’ve met him, right?” Aaron nodded, dimly aware of an Alexander in his Charms class.

Ariadne pulled a little thesaurus from her bag, apparently ready to try again with her own poem. “Maybe it will work out after all?”

He nodded again, glad to have brightened her mood. “Yeah. Maybe.”

* * *

“We have to write a poem.”

Kellen frowned at Aaron over his Charms essay as his friend staggered into the common room. “A what now?”

“A poem. About Gryffindor.”

 “Says who?”

“We just have to, okay? Will you help me?” Aaron shifted from foot to foot in agitation; Lucy and Lyra left off their chess game to stare.

“What’s got you all tied up in knots?” Lucy asked as one of Lyra’s knights pummeled her last pawn.

Aaron groaned. “It’s just- see, Ariadne had this idea-“

“Why am I not surprised?” Kellen rolled up his essay and grinned at Aaron, who scowled back. “So you’re trying to impress her with poetry?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Aaron huffed. “She was trying to put together a new school song, and asked around to see if all the Houses would write a poem to go with the music. And no one’s helping.”

“No surprise there. Oh, come on,” he said at Aaron’s affronted look, “it’s midway through term, everyone’s busy with homework and practice. What we _should_ be worried about is how we’re going to beat Ravenclaw next match.” He and the girls shared dark looks. “I heard their Keeper’s been practicing like mad, you’ll have to really hit hard on his left side, that’s where he’s-“

“Yes, I know, I hear it from the team every day,” Aaron interrupted with a scowl. “Can we focus, please?”

“Okay. Give me one good reason why we should do this.”

 “Because if we don’t, Ariadne will be sad.”

“It happens. She’ll get over it.”

“And then _I’ll_ be sad.” Aaron crossed his arms. “So sad that it affects my goal-scoring abilities against Ravenclaw…”

 “ _Fine,_ fine. You’ve made your point.” Kellen slouched down in his chair in defeat. “How long does it have to be?”

“Ummm…” Aaron wracked his brain as his friends watched expectantly. “She said something about eight-six…”

“ _Eighty-six?!_ ”  Kellen cried, sharing incredulous looks with the girls. “Verses? There’s no way.”

“She didn’t really explain that part, okay? We’re supposed to ask that Farley kid from Charms, Alexander Farley; he wrote the music, he’ll know how much we need to write.”

Muttering darkly, Kellen picked up his essay again, which Aaron took to mean that he’d won this round.

Lyra shook her head as Lucy pondered her next move. “We can talk to Farley after class tomorrow. I guess we’ll figure it out from there.”

Lucy sent her bishop over to tackle Lyra’s offending knight. “And don’t strain your wrist with all this poetry writing, okay? That arm needs to be Quidditch-ready.”

Aaron beamed at her. “It’ll all work out, no worries,” he said cheerfully. “In the meantime, you can help me come up with some words that rhyme with ‘brave.’”

* * *

After Charms the next day, Alexander Farley was happy to explain the meter of the poem to Aaron and the other Gryffindors; he and his friends seemed pleasantly surprised that they were interested in helping at all.

“It’s pretty basic, but if you have any questions, just ask,” Farley said, as Aaron jotted down a few notes. “Who knew this idea would get off the ground?”

Ignoring his friends’ pointed looks, Aaron thanked Farley as their group headed for the door.

“Oh, and she wanted me to give you this,” Farley said, pulling a folded piece of parchment from where he’d wedged it in his Charms book. “In case you came asking.”

Grabbing the note, Aaron smoothed out the parchment and quickly read the neat lines of familiar handwriting.

_She danced and she sang_

_Her heart as light and airy_

_As a sweet meringue_

“Is that code or something?” Lucy asked, and Aaron jumped. His friends had shamelessly crowded around to read over his shoulder. Aaron shoved the note into his pocket, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face.

“What’s ‘meringue’?” asked Kellen as they followed him out into the corridor.

“I’ll tell you later,” Aaron replied. “Let’s see how much of this poem we can write before Defense starts.”

* * *

 

On Thursday, Scorpius finished his dinner and told his yearmates he’d be down later. His best friend, Lucas Nott, who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life, had helpfully told everyone what his plans were for the evening, and they’d all had a good laugh at his expense.

“Just for that, I’m keeping my History notes to myself,” Scorpius said cheerfully, and the others groaned. He dug his old Transfiguration notes out of his bag as his friends filed out. Taking a final swig of pumpkin juice, he walked over to the Hufflepuff table, where clusters of first years had already gathered around their own piles of notes. To his surprise, each of the four Houses were represented: a couple of Slytherins sat with the largest group, which had the littlest Potter at the center. Unsure where to go, he looked up and down the table for a familiar face.

“Scorpius?”

He turned and saw Rose Weasley break off from a group of Ravenclaws to join him.

“Evening, Miss Weasley,” he said with a smile. “Glad to see I won’t be spending the next hour with only Hufflepuffs and ankle-biters for company.”

Rose laughed. “It was Ariadne’s idea, but we Ravenclaws are running the show. Bates was a nice addition, but all of the Gryffindors have become _completely_ Quidditch obsessed.” She shook her head. “Grades are important, too, you know.”

“ _I_ know. That’s why I’m here.  And because I don’t want James Potter smothering me in my sleep.”

Rose rolled her eyes and led him over to the nearest group of first years, who were watching them with a mixture of curiosity and fear. “You’re here because you’re a top student and you don’t torture first years for fun. And that’s exactly what I told Ariadne,” she added, grinning mischievously.

He gaped at her. “So it’s _your_ fault I’m here instead of getting my own work done? Thanks a lot.”

She laughed again. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them run you ragged. Just follow my lead.” She turned and addressed the nearest first years, saying, “Does everyone have their books out? We’ll rotate around the table and help you with your questions. I’ll help with Charms, and our new friend Scorpius,” she gestured grandly in his direction and he tried to look non-threatening, “will be helping with Transfiguration. Let’s get started!”

A couple of girls immediately launched into a tirade about how impossible their latest Charms homework was, while the others stared nervously at Scorpius. He sighed and pointed to the books on the table. “Can someone at least tell me what chapter you’re on?”

A tiny boy with curly hair stammered out a number, and as they all opened their books Scorpius caught Rose grinning at him from behind her notes. “Look at these diagrams and start practicing wand movements,” he said, rolling up his sleeves. Maybe this wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

* * *

“This is a disaster.”

Scorpius sighed and set down his notes as the students around him fretted and paced. What he had hoped would be a quiet of evening of study had quickly devolved into chaos as agitated Slytherins filled the dungeon after dinner, chatting excitedly. He would have to get up early to correct his Defense essay before breakfast. He slouched down in his seat as Lucas sat down next to him on the couch.

“Have I missed anything?” he asked, watching Head Boy Simon Wodehouse get more and more flustered with each passing moment. Scorpius shook his head.

The disaster in question had happened at the end of dinner, when Headmaster Crawley stood and waved his hands for silence.

“Students, it has come to our attention that many of you are participating in a project of House celebration and unification, and for that, my fellow professors and I commend you.” Frowning in confusion, Scorpius had glanced around his table to see matching looks on his Housemates’ faces.

Crawley continued, “And what better way to bring together such a vibrant and diverse group of young people than through the universal language of music!” Scorpius choked on his pumpkin juice. He couldn’t mean…

“As the first group to complete their portion of our new school song, the Gryffindors have offered to sing their verse for us tonight, as inspiration for the rest of you,” Crawley said, gesturing grandly at the students in question, who all looked rather smug. “We will sing the completed song as a round on the night before the Christmas holiday; it will be a wonderful way to conclude the term!” The other professors applauded politely as he returned to his seat. When he nodded to the Gryffindors, someone pulled out a pitch pipe, and the lot of them began a jubilant rendition of their new House verse. At its conclusion, they cheered wildly and quickly devolved into chanting their House name, as they were wont to do. Lucas turned to him, looking rather uneasy.

 “I have a bad feeling about this, mate…”

“What on earth just happened?” Wodehouse asked the room at large, yanking at his auburn hair in frustration as he continued to pace about. “How did the Gryffindors get one over on us like that? Did anyone know about this? What on earth is going on?!”

Scorpius winced. Wodehouse was high strung at the best of times, and this latest development on top of his Head Boy duties and looming NEWTs seemed to have finally pushed him over the edge. Scorpius shifted nervously on the couch as everyone began talking at once. A voice to his left cut through the din.

“Well, Anastasia? Where’s our verse?” a third year called out, and his friends laughed. The girl in question shot him a scathing look, which only made them laugh harder.

“This isn’t _my_ fault!” she shot back, the girls around her glaring on her behalf. “I never said we would help with her silly project, I said we would _think_ about it.”

“She?” Wodehouse asked, looking between them. “She who?”

“Ariadne Potter,” Anastasia said with a sigh, thumbing through a magazine and clearly over the entire conversation. “I had to say something to make her go away. I mean, _another_ school song? So lame.”

Wodehouse suddenly looked quite pale beneath his freckles. “This was the _Potters’_ idea?”

“Malfoy was talking to the Potter girl in the corridor a couple weeks ago,” a sixth year pointed out, and everyone turned to look his way.

Wodehouse rounded on him. “Well? What did she say?”

Scorpius shrugged, uncomfortable with their scrutiny but determined not to show it. “She asked how our part was going, and I said when it was done someone would let her know.” As the others groaned, he added, “I was sure she’d forget and move on to another idea like she always does, I never thought anything would come of it! Last year she tried to form a juggling league, and teach the Giant Squid to fetch…”

“And even if she didn’t forget, who knew the other Houses would even go for it?” Lucas chimed in, jumping to his defense.

A fifth year behind them snorted derisively. “If ‘Gryffindor’ didn’t rhyme with ‘roar’, it would have taken them years to come up with two lines,” he said, and the others laughed.

“But they _did_ come up with something,” Wodehouse said, glaring at them, “and now that Gryffindor took part, Ravenclaw has to write something even better to show them up. Slytherin, meanwhile, has nothing, which leaves _us_ looking like idiots.”

This led to more arguing, especially among the third and seventh years; Scorpius felt a headache coming on.

A younger voice cut through the noise. “A fine mess you lot have made. When my year is in charge, we’ll run a tighter ship, I can tell you that much.”

They turned to look at the first and second years huddled on the boys’ staircase, where Eddie Burke stared boldly back.

Wodehouse rolled his eyes. “Enlighten us, Master Burke. What would you have done differently?”

“You should have gotten the Potter girl on your side right from the start. She’d have made a great ally; Al Potter says the Headmaster adores her. Malfoy has the right idea; he knows all of them,” Eddie said as the others chuckled. He stuck out his chin. “You never know when you’ll need a Potter on your side.”

Scorpius had to give the boy some credit; he was frighteningly insightful for a first year.

“Well good on you for having friends in high places,” said the sixth year who had called Scorpius out. “Where does that leave us?”

“We write the verse.”

The room went quiet, and every head turned toward the coveted chair by the fire that belonged to the Head Girl. Lydia Selwyn gazed calmly back, her dark eyes and hair shining in the firelight.

“What do you think, Lydia?” Wodehouse asked in a much calmer voice. As the first Slytherin Head Boy and Girl pair in decades, they worked doubly hard to set a good example and show off the qualities of their House in the modern age. If there was anyone Wodehouse trusted to get them out of this mess, it was Lydia.

“Congratulate the Gryffindors on their verse,” she continued. “Tell Ariadne Potter that we’re happy to take part, but that to really do our House justice, we need more time to make our verse the best it can possibly be. Ask her if we can present our part last. We’ll look like team players, we’ll keep the Potters happy, and no one will be the wiser.”

As everyone nodded and murmured in agreement, Wodehouse rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That could work, but it still leaves the song. How are we supposed to write it? Has anyone even seen the music?”

“Anything we come up with will be better than what the Gryffindors have,” Lucas said, elbowing Scorpius. “’Gryffindors know what’s in store?’ Really?”

“Burke can ask the littlest Potter for the music and put his alliance to good use,” Lydia said with a smile; Eddie shrugged and looked away, blushing. “And Simon can tell the Gryffindors what a good job they did tomorrow at breakfast.”

Wodehouse shook his head and smiled. “It’s as good a plan as any. Who wants to talk to the Potter girl?” Voices in the crowd suggested Anastasia, who immediately refused.

“Make Malfoy do it, he knows them better than anyone!” she exclaimed, and the attention was once again on him.

Before Scorpius could protest, Lydia said, “It’s settled then. Anyone who has an idea for song lyrics, write them down on a slip of parchment and put them in here.” She waved her wand and Transfigured a roll of parchment into a little box. “It will all be anonymous. Simon and I will look them over and bring the best ideas to the House as a group in a week or so, and we’ll put together a verse from there. And if that’s all,” she said, rising from her chair, “I have places to be.”

Having been soundly dismissed, the other Slytherins either headed off to the library or returned to their rooms, still discussing the day’s events. When only a few students were left, Lucas rubbed his chin in a spot on impression of their Head Boy. “What rhymes with ‘Slytherin’?”

Scorpius just shook his head. “I’m never going to finish this essay, am I?”

* * *

At breakfast the following morning, a hush followed Head Boy Wodehouse as he left his table and made his way over to the Gryffindor side of the room. He stopped a few feet from Ross, Gryffindor’s seventh year prefect, who rose to meet him, an easy smile on his face.

“Wodehouse.”

“Poldark.”

“What, did your table run out of jam?” Ross gestured to the nearest bench. “Have a seat, we still have plenty left.”

Wodehouse shook his head, trying to match Ross’ smile with one of his own. “I’m done eating. Just wanted to congratulate you and your House on last night’s performance.”

“Much obliged.”

“School spirit is very important, especially at this point in the term,” Wodehouse continued, his eyes leaving Ross’ face and scanning the curious Gryffindors watching from their seats. He nodded encouragingly. “The stress of our busy schedules can begin to feel overwhelming, but we have to remember why we’re here.” He turned back to Ross. “And that we’re all in this together.”

Ross nodded. “Well said. And music does wonders for morale.” He raised an eyebrow. “When will we get to hear your House’s contribution, Wodehouse? I’m sure they’ll have plenty to say on unity and school spirit.”

Wodehouse merely smiled. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

~

From farther down the table, Al and Charlie continued to watch in disbelief as the Head Boy shook Ross’ hand and headed back to the Slytherin table. “What was that all about?”

Charlie shook his head and grabbed another slice of bacon. “No one ever tells us anything.”

~

While the seventh years made nice at the Gryffindor table, Scorpius had made his way over to the Ravenclaw table, where Ariadne sat with James and Rose.

“And we’d really like to go last, to make sure we have enough time to do your song justice,” he concluded, wishing the others would get back to correcting their homework and stop staring.

“It’s so great that everyone’s helping! But you don’t have to worry about that,” Ariadne added, oblivious to the attention they were getting. “Professor Crawley said it would be a fun surprise to reveal the other verses all at once at the end of term feast, so we’ll all sing them together.”

“We’ll just have to use the Gryffindors as our inspiration,” James said dryly, and everyone around them scoffed before going back to pretending that they weren’t eavesdropping.

“That seems fair,” Scorpius said diplomatically, and to his relief, Ariadne smiled and stood to leave, giving him an excuse to rise from his seat.

“Isn’t it wonderful, how everything’s coming together just in time for Christmas?” she gushed as she grabbed her bag. “I can’t wait to hear the finished song; we’re having a rehearsal in Hufflepuff on Friday night. Bye Scorpius, bye everyone!” With a final wave, she bounded off to walk with a group of girls who’d been waiting for her. In the ensuing silence, Scorpius nodded to the Ravenclaws and moved away from the table, feeling relieved as the others went back to their breakfasts.

To his surprise, he was followed by Rose and James, with James’ friends Ioan and Jasper right behind them. Lucas, who had been waiting for him near the door, raised an eyebrow at their group.

“So everything’s handled with Slytherin, then?” James asked once they reached the Entrance Hall.

Scorpius nodded. “There’s a plan in place.”

“And I already had some ideas written down, just in case, so we have a good starting point.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “What would we do without you?”

“Have a shoddy poem, that’s what,” James replied, ignoring the dig. “I had some great lines all done, but they were in iambic pentameter and didn't fit the song they wrote. Honestly, I thought she’d forget and move on to something else like she always does,” James said, rubbing his forehead and looking rather tired. “She and her friends spent the last week discussing which House has the best-looking prefects; I thought that was taking all of her focus.”

“Which is it, then?” Rose asked. He narrowed his eyes at her; she smiled innocently back.

“I say the best-looking House should get to mention that in their verse,” Lucas added helpfully.

“What _I_ can’t figure out,” James continued, “is what inspired the Gryffindors to stop thinking about Quidditch long enough to write that ridiculous poem in the first place.” He scowled. “I asked around, but no one’s talking.”

“Some things are meant to remain a mystery,” Jasper said; he and Ioan were inching toward the staircase, clearly ready to leave.

“Not the handsomest prefects, though,” Rose said, grinning at Scorpius. “That requires further investigation.”

James shook his head. “How do we always end up here? Every year she has some idea that spirals out of control and _I_ have to make sure it works so her feelings don’t get hurt.” He turned to go. “I suppose it could've been worse. Thanks for your help, Scorpius.”

“When’s the last time your sister _didn’t_ get her way?” Lucas asked curiously, wincing when Scorpius elbowed him in the ribs.

James thought for a moment. “For her fifth birthday, she asked Dad for a unicorn,” he said finally. “That was a rough couple of weeks.”

* * *

“Today, we’re trying something different,” young Professor Windsnap said, rubbing his hands together. The first year Gryffindors and Slytherins looked at each other in confusion. “You have had several weeks to gain an understanding of Potions as a subject, and are honing your potion-making skills. I’m having you switch partners today, to perhaps see the process from a fresh perspective, and build a bit of inter-House unity along the way!” Beaming at them, he waved them up out of their seats and said, “Go forth and find a new partner, preferably someone from the other side of the room!”

Eddie Burke appeared suddenly at Al’s shoulder, nudging Charlie out of his seat and pulling out his supplies. Charlie shoved him back good naturedly as he went over to sit with Agnes.

“Right, then,” Eddie said, looking around at their table as if waiting for their ingredients to chop themselves. “What were we making again? Burn cream, yeah?”

Al shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “I thought he said burn _balm_. Is there a difference?”

“You sit closer to the front, you should have heard Windsnap! Do I have to do _everything_?”

Al sighed and peered at the chalk board. “It’s a burn _salve_. Page 37.”

“Excellent.” Eddie flipped to the proper page and propped up his textbook against his school bag. “Burke and Potter, potion-making extraordinaires! This should be a breeze.”

Eddie’s usual confidence notwithstanding, the potion seemed to be getting the best of them. A quick glance around the room showed that while their classmates’ potions had all become varying shades of blue, theirs was an ashy gray and getting darker by the minute.

“Did we add enough of that green powder?” Al asked, scratching his head.

Eddie shrugged. “Probably. Anyway, it looks like adding more now would cancel out the wasp wings.”

“Rats.”

“Nice singing, by the way,” Eddie added, looking over their ingredient checklist. “That was some show your House put on last night.”

“Just something Ariadne’s friends have been working on,” Al said. “I’m kind of surprised they found the time; our Quidditch team has been practicing nonstop.” He checked his watch; they had one more minute before the final ingredient needed to be added. “It’s almost as surprising as the other Houses going along with it. D’you think James threatened them or something?”

Eddie grinned. “The Slytherins are pretending they were helping all along, but they were secretly hoping your sister would forget about this song idea and leave them alone. I’ll need a copy of your verse, by the way, so we can write ours without having to ask the Hufflepuffs for help.”

“The words are in my bag, I’ll show you later. Minute’s up!” Al mopped his brow with his sleeve. “So I chopped up those roots-“

“Minced.”

“Come again?”

“You were supposed to _mince_ them,” Eddie said, his eyes on his book. “I’m pretty sure that’s different.”

Al groaned and pushed his misshapen root chunks into a pile. “My Hogwarts letter didn’t say we had to be trained chefs! What do we do now?”

“Minced means small. Try stirring it faster, maybe that will help them dissolve.” Eddie set aside his book and chucked a handful of root pieces into Al’s cauldron, while Al grabbed their wooden paddle and stirred with gusto. There was a sound like ice cracking, and a heavy gray smoke began to billow out of the cauldron. Both boys jumped back with startled shouts as the temperature dropped several degrees; there was a mad dash for the door as Professor Windsnap fought his way through the throng, shouting for them to please _walk_ into the hallway and wait for instructions. He didn’t need to tell Al and Eddie twice: their shoes were frozen to the floor.

Windsnap waved his wand once to Vanish the contents of Al’s cauldron, and once more to free the boys’ feet. He paused to catch his breath, his hands on his knees, before straightening and trying to look dignified. “An admirable effort,” he said, and Al grimaced, “but there’s certainly room for improvement.”

* * *

“I still don’t see how you don’t like Hal, Al,” Jack said, he and Desmond grinning at his silly rhyme. “Yeah, the movie wasn’t that great, but he’s a star pilot, _already_ a hero-“

“For the millionth time, I don’t _not_ like Hal Jordan,” Al said with exaggerated patience, “It’s just that I like John Stewart more.” They were early for the end of term feast, chatting a bit at the Gryffindor table before things got underway. “ I knew about him first, they picked _him_ to be in the animated series, first of all, and seriously, he was an _architect_ , what’s more perfect for a Lantern-“

When the other boys scoffed, Al continued, unfazed. “He knows how to create things. Hal knows how to blow things up. And there’s more to being a hero than fighting.”

“Are they still talking about this?”

Eddie had wandered over from the Slytherin table, rolling his eyes when he picked up on their argument.

“What, you mean Muggle space men? Yep, still talking,” Charlie said, grinning when Al gave him a good-natured shove.

“I’m getting you both comics for Christmas, so you can appreciate how awesome the Green Lanterns are,” Al said sternly, and Jack and Desmond laughed. “Better yet, you should all come to the cinema with me and my Dad, we’re going to London to see _Justice League_ next week. Rumor has it Hal _and_ John might make a surprise appearance.” Al grinned as their Hufflepuffs friends cheered.

Charlie watched them curiously. “I’ve never been to a cinema before…”

“You have to come, then!” Al said excitedly. “It’s going to be so cool. What about you, Eddie?”

Eddie shrugged. “My parents said we’ll just be visiting family this Christmas,” he said, not quite meeting Al’s eyes.

“Oh.” Mustering up a smile, Al added, “Maybe next year, then.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, maybe.” He smiled again. “You’ll just have to let me know how they plug the Justice Leak when we come back from hols.”

“No, not- it’s _Justice_ \- ugh!” Al groaned as the others roared with laughter. “You’re _definitely_ getting a comic for Christmas.”

It was nearly time for the feast to begin; clapping Al and Charlie on the shoulder, their friends returned to their respective tables. A moment later, the Headmaster stood and waited for the assembled students to give him their attention.

“I want to congratulate you all on the completion of our new school song, and I and the rest of the staff look forward to hearing the fruits of your labors. Does everyone have their lyrics handy?” He waited a moment for prefects to pass copies of the lyrics down the tables. “Professor Hughes, if you please.”

Professor Hughes strode forward, her silver hair pulled neatly back and a sprig of holly on her hat. Between Arithmancy classes, she assisted Muggle Studies Professor Widmore with the occasional music lesson. After making eye contact with the students at each table, she nodded to the Hufflepuffs, who were going first. Al took a moment to appreciate the scene before him: his sister’s Housemates sat up straight, lyrics in hand, their eager faces glowing in the candlelight as they prepared to sing. One of their prefects took out a pitch pipe (where did they keep finding them? Al wondered), and Professor Hughes raised her hands to help them keep time. After hearing that first note, the Hufflepuffs took a deep breath, as one, and began to sing.

* * *

“So, you see, Dad, I ended up making the salve too cold on accident,” Al said, twirling his dessert spoon and striving for a casual air. “It’s all fine, though, promise. Maybe I’m just _too_ good at Potions?” He smiled hopefully; his Dad only shook his head, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Read the instructions all the way through before you start, okay?” Harry said, ruffling Al’s hair. “It’s certainly not the worst thing to happen in that classroom; your Uncle Neville did his level best to burn the place down.” Their dinner guests chuckled as Neville sputtered half-hearted excuses, a rueful grin on his face.

James had been right, as usual: Headmaster Crawley had written to their Father right after the end of term feast to tell him all about James’ impeccable grades, Ariadne’s musical project, and Al’s mishap with Eddie in class.

“Would you like to share your song with us, Ariadne?” Luna asked, sending her empty dessert plate into the kitchen with a wave of her wand.

The Weasleys and their other visitors looked over curiously as they finished their last bites of Christmas pudding. Ariadne grinned and ducked her head.

“It’s not really _my_ song, Mum, the whole school helped write it. And I doubt everyone wants to hear me sing…”

“Sure we do!” Ginny said, smiling encouragingly. “Neville says it turned out wonderfully.”

“But only if you want to, Sweetheart,” Harry added, levitating several more plates into the kitchen. Ariadne sent him a grateful smile.

“It did sound pretty amazing with the whole school singing it together,” Neville said, putting an arm around his wife.

“But that’s just it, Mum!” Ariadne said. “It’s best as a round, it wouldn’t sound right with just one person.”

“Would you feel better if James sang with you?” Luna asked. Ariadne shot a dubious look at her brother, who was sitting with a group of boys near the Christmas tree, eyeing the gifts that wouldn’t be opened until morning.

Luna led Ariadne and the others into the living room and beckoned James over.

“Jamie, won’t you help your sister with her song?” she asked. “Could you sing one of the other parts?”

To Ariadne’s surprise, James nodded. “Sure, I’ll help. And Al will sing for Gryffindor, won’t you, Al?”

Al rolled his eyes, but moved to stand next to his siblings. “Okay, fine. But…” He took a quick look around the room. “We don’t have any Slytherins.”

“What a shame,” one of the adults muttered, and the others chuckled. James, however, looked thoughtful.

“At any rate, we need a fourth person.” He turned to his friends and pseudo-cousins and asked, “Which of you lot can sing a verse without embarrassing me?”

His answer was a lot of muttering and nervous laughter. Dean Thomas, filing in behind Harry with his wife Bree, called out, “Go ahead, Aaron, help them out. You’ve been singing that song nonstop since you got home, you know it well enough.”

Aaron shuffled over to stand beside Ariadne, grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, okay…”

“I’ll sing the Slytherin verse, then,” Al said. When the others looked at him, he shrugged. “Someone has to. Do you have the words, Ariadne?”

She pulled several squares of parchment out of her school bag and handed them out. “How about me, Aaron, Al, then James, and we sing it through twice?” When the others nodded, she resumed her place. The four of them stood in a line in front of the tree, facing their expectant audience. Ariadne took a deep breath and started them off:

_Fair Hufflepuff, she built her House,_

_With arms and doors flung wide_

_So all with magic in their hearts_

_Could study side by side…_

One after another, they joined in, trying not to squirm under the scrutiny of their audience. Al was just glad he didn’t have to go first. He worked his way carefully through the Slytherins’ lines about tradition and achieving greatness, doing his best not to get distracted by James’ soaring rendition of his House’s verse, which seemed to be made entirely of metaphors. While it was more challenging to sing it as a round, everyone held their own and sang with determination and cheer, with James’ precision helping them keep track of the tempo. Their audience listened in rapt silence, some swaying along or tapping their feet, their eyes shining in the soft candlelight.

After James held the final note for dramatic effect, everyone burst into applause. Ariadne jumped up and down, clapping along with them. “Great job, boys!”

“That was lovely, Ariadne,” Angelina said, as the others murmured their appreciation.

“Way better than the old version,” George added, and Fred laughed. “Not sure if it ever had music to go with it…”

“It was a group effort,” Ariadne said firmly; she and Aaron shared a smile before she darted over to her parents for a hug.

The Potters and their guests gathered around the tree, prodding at presents and enjoying after dinner drinks. As Al found a gift with his name on it that looked suspiciously book-shaped, he overheard Ariadne and Roxanne chatting about their own gifts.

“Here’s hoping my sweater is purple this year,” Roxanne said, nudging a package with her toe.

Ariadne nodded, a faraway look on her face.

“What’s up?” Roxanne asked.

Her eyes lighting up, Ariadne said, “Do you think the song needs a dance to go with it?”

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited to have this finished and posted. I honestly wrote a few of these scenes a couple years ago when ideas for Al's first year came to me, so this has been a long time in the making.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has given my stories a chance; I have had so much fun imagining the adventures of Harry and Luna and their family, and I'm happy to share them with you. It's also fun posting these in 'real time': will John Stewart make an appearance in the Justice League movie? We'll find out when Al does. Fingers crossed! 
> 
> Name Notes: The vast majority of names used are from my favorite TV shows, just because I think it's more fun that way. I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of JKR's original characters that are included here even have names from one of my favorite shows, so that made the theme even easier. Still waiting for someone to guess it... And if you didn't catch it, the title is a reference to Snow White. Very much Ariadne's Disney counterpart.
> 
> Musical Note: The music I had in mind for the new school song was the Kingsfold hymn tune. It sounds suitably ancient and mysterious and is a traditional English melody, and although I’ve never heard it as a round, I can’t see it being too disastrous. Forest Green also works, if you would like to imagine it to something more upbeat (I’m a big fan of Ralph Vaughan Williams). Since the verses are written in common meter, it could fit just about anything, including the Gilligan’s Island theme song, so it can practically be whatever you you want : )


End file.
